Violation of Privacy

A person's right to privacy is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, and any violations of that are open to criminal and civil penalties. However, not everyone has a blanket right to privacy.

Privacy Rights

• Law enforcement agencies and private citizens cannot legally place listening or viewing devices in a home or another place where reasonable privacy is expected, such as a public restroom, without receiving a warrant from the court and proving that there is probable cause.

  Landlords or property owners cannot legally enter a tenant's apartment without consent of the tenant, unless there is a suspected medical or mechanical emergency, such as a leaking water heater.

Pictures and Video

• Any picture or video taken while there was expected privacy cannot be distributed without permission, under penalty of law. For example, if a picture or video is taken of an intimate act and one or both parties were unaware of its possible dissemination, then distribution can be criminal, and the distributor can be liable to civil action.

Exceptions

• Celebrities and political figures do not have the same rights to privacy as regular citizens. The courts understand that people in those roles place themselves in the public eye and their lives are of interest to the public, and as such they give up many rights to their privacy.